According to statistics or the bookkeepers available, the team that scores the first goal has about 67 percent of a chance of winning a soccer game. So far, Canada’s National Men’s Team has defied those odds.
In the six games it played in the third round of the Concacaf FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament, Canada faced a 1-0 deficit on four occasions. .
Putting aside their 0-0 draw against Jamaica, there is only one game left where the Canadian team have scored the first goal since the start of this round.
However, the Canadian players have still not suffered the defeat, as confirmed by their record of two wins and four draws.
They wiped out one-goal deficits and pulled down draws in the United States and Mexico. They also faced one-goal delays at home against Honduras and Panama to have another draw and a win, respectively.
As they prepare to host Costa Rica on Friday and Mexico on Tuesday in Edmonton, the Canadian team believe they could come from behind again even if this trend of giving the first goal were to continue. .
“It doesn’t matter,” commented head coach John Herdman after the team’s training session Wednesday afternoon at Commonwealth Stadium.
“The beauty for us is that we find ourselves in a 1-0 decline and we know it will be a challenge, but we responded. “
Canada has scored 10 goals in its first six outings in the third round and sits third in the overall standings.
The top three teams will qualify for the World Cup, while the club that finishes fourth will have to play a knockout game against a country from another part of the world.
With such an offensive production, Canada shares first place with Mexico in most goals scored among the eight remaining Concacaf teams.
Thus, Herdman does not want his players to feel tense early in the game. If they concede a goal, that’s it.
“We want to create a new Canada here,” Herdman explained.
“We don’t have to be afraid to concede goals. We need to know that we can score goals. We can score in any situation, in any stadium. “
Winger Alphonso Davies was a little more reserved in his analysis.
“We know that defensively, we did not start our games very well,” admitted the star player of Bayern Munich.
“But it shows the fighting spirit that drives this team. We know that in these two games we can’t take anything for granted. We can’t give them easy goals too soon. “
Soccer Canada officials said on Wednesday nearly 45,000 tickets were sold for Friday’s game, and many will be excited to see Davies play in the city where he grew up.
Spectators are also hoping to see Davies replicate the spectacular goal he scored in Canada’s 4-1 win over Panama on October 14 in Toronto.
“There will be a few butterflies, but once the whistle blows, it is me and the team who will concentrate on the task in front of us, that is to say collecting the three points on Friday”, a Davies observed.
Herdman said he relies on a healthy group of players. Forward Cyle Larin, scorer of 20 goals in 42 international games, missed Wednesday’s training session with an upset stomach. He should, however, be restored in time for Friday’s game.